Memories
by Mute Wordsmith
Summary: In which Sephiroth chooses really, really bad times to appear. Or doesn't choose. Depends how you look at it.
1. Chapter 1

_So I got this really silly and confusing idea and I decided to make a fanfic out of it. You know, as you do. Also, this fic contains OOC (Out Of Characterness) and gay._

* * *

To manifest oneself from another's memories is an imperfect and difficult art. Imperfect because quite frankly it's not a widely practised activity and difficult because it requires a lot of strength and willpower and motivation. This needs to come from both people: the manifested and the manifester. Put simply, the person has to be concentrating on a particularly strong or emotional memory in connection with the person waiting to be manifested, and that person… well, needs to wait.

Ever since being defeated by Cloud for a second time, Sephiroth has found himself in a bit of a rut. You see, while it was all very well manipulating his clones to gather together and thus creating a big enough mass of JENOVA cells to allow himself to appear from Cloud's memories, there simply aren't enough to appear again. This is problematic because Sephiroth has to make good on his promise to Cloud (_"I will never be just a memory."_) and because Cloud's life is very boring without Sephiroth and all Sephiroth has to do is sift through Cloud's many memories, the bright recent ones of delivering packages and ignoring when Tifa phones and being coerced into making brownies with the two small children Cloud and Tifa live with, and the dim distant ones of Cloud's childhood in Nibelheim and the pet chocobo Cloud's father left him at the age of six and how it had to be given away shortly afterwards because he and his mother were unable to care for it properly. And then there's memories that are sharp and focused and oddly painful because they're about days when Cloud was a cadet and before this whole thing happened and they're full of warm, blind admiration for Sephiroth and a strong, instant love for a dark-haired 2nd Class SOLDIER who was kind and lively and had no compunctions whatsoever about playing jokes on Sephiroth and dragging Cloud into it all. And Sephiroth finds that he can remember these memories too and tries not to because he is, deep down, afraid that if that dark-haired friend of both him and Cloud were to see him now, he'd be disappointed in Sephiroth.

Sephiroth avoids that entire section of memories altogether.

And he waits and hopes more clones with JENOVA cells are going to appear soon, because the only person with JENOVA cells around right now is Cloud, and only enough for Sephiroth to appear briefly, and without even a fraction of his true strength.

He toys with the idea of appearing when Cloud is sleeping (when he is having one of his nightmares about Sephiroth) and prodding him awake enough to notice him only to disappear and make Cloud think he's going crazy but that doesn't seem dignified enough and there's really no guarantee _when _Cloud will create an opening for Sephiroth to gather together enough strength and push through into reality so he opts for any chance he gets.

And so Sephiroth waits.

* * *

_"Spike!"_

_Step out of fighting stance and let the ShinRa training sword hang down by his side. "Zack?"_

_"Do you see this?" A hint of barely suppressed glee. A dark-haired man is waving a bottle around. Closer inspection reveals the label to say: __**ShinRa Shampoo. Contains Maiden's Kiss extract. Use for luxuriously silky hair!**__ "Do you know whose shampoo this is?"_

_Wariness is now developing into apprehension. An idea of whose shampoo it is is coming to light but mustn't encourage the lunatic._

_"Sephiroth's!"_

_"…"_

_"He must be really tired of having silver hair by now, it'd be better for him to try out new colours don't you think? Only, he'd never let us dye his hair voluntarily so we're gonna have to be sneaky about it…"_

* * *

Satisfaction fills Sephiroth. _Finally._

He gathers together his strength and sense of being and enters through the window of opportunity Cloud has given him.

The fresh, chill air is like a breath of life into Sephiroth's body. He takes a moment to bask in just actually having a body to feel with before his world is filled with pain.

Sephiroth is not quite sure what happens but the sky and ground switch places and when the feeling of flying starts to fade and is replaced with the feeling of falling, he hits the ground with an impact that jars every bone in his body and lies still, being unable to move his new corporeal self at all yet feeling every excruciating detail of his injury.

Sephiroth quickly begins to regret having a body to feel with.

A roaring noise fills Sephiroth's head and grows louder, and he then realises he's actually hearing it with his ears and it stops close-by and he hears a familiar voice exclaim "What the-? Sephiroth!"

And a face peers down into his with a mop of gravity-defying blonde spikes on top and Sephiroth's strength fades and his consciousness dissipates and he's back to waiting for Cloud to provide him with another, less painful, chance to appear.

_In which Fenrir succeeds where many have failed._

* * *

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

"And you're sure it was him?" Vincent asked after the long pause that followed Cloud's tale.

"I'm sure it was him," Cloud said firmly.

"...And you ran him over with your motorbike?"

"I... yes."

"..."

"He came out of nowhere!"

"Cloud, how fast were you driving to have killed the former General Sephiroth?"

"I think the problem here is more that Sephiroth appeared rather than that I killed him with Fenrir. Who, luckily, is not damaged by the way."

"Hmm."

There was a series of hollow taps from Vincent's end of the line, which Cloud assumed was the gunman tapping his claw against his mobile (recently foisted upon him by an insistent Yuffie and Tifa).

"Vincent... do you... do you think I should move away? From Tifa and the others? I don't want them to get hurt."

Story of Cloud's life. And Vincent's life. Sort of. Vincent had recited the same sort of thing when Cid and Shera (mostly Cid) had coerced him into living with them. He had also said that he "didn't want to get in the way of anything" but shortly discovered that even after their striking up a somewhat romantic relationship, Cid and Shera's interaction mostly remained the same. Actually, an outsider would say Shera preferred Vincent to Cid, the former whom she thought of as polite and refined. Vincent reckoned it was easy to appear those things when placed next to the grumpy airship pilot.

"I wonder. Cloud, do you have any idea what might have triggered this? The last time it was those three clones, have any more appeared do you think?"

"I don't know. I've not been attacked by anyone. Do you think you could put a word in with Reeve? Just to keep the WRO on a lookout for silver-haired men or something?"

"After the last incident, I don't think anyone needs to be warned about silver-haired men."

"Mm. It'd be good if he or they went after Rufus again though, wouldn't it? I mean, that guy's an ass."

"..."

"I'm _joking_!"

"..."

"...Probably."

There was a quiet chuckle,"It's nice to hear you make a joke, Cloud Strife."

"It's nice to hear you laugh, Vincent Valentine."

"Ah, touché."

Cloud tried and failed to stop a rare grin,"So... I... I'm probably going to head somewhere north for a bit, away from other folk-"

"Why don't you come and stay with me and Cid and Shera?"

"Huh? But what if Sephiroth appears again? I won't let you guys get hurt!"

"Ah yes, you wouldn't want to endanger the ex-Turk and the pilot who fought Sephiroth with you several years ago. And defeated him."

"...Shera-"

"Who can use a gun half as well as a Turk and better than the average cadet. She's been bugging me for tips you know."

"I'm really not getting out of this am I?"

"I hear Cid's good with motorbikes. Could make a couple of adjustments to "Fenrir"."

"I can adjust him myself! And I'm only coming because it's safer that way."

"Of course."

"And if Tifa asks I'm delivering a package."

"Tifa? She doesn't know?"

"No! Or else right now I'd be pestered with a million phone calls."

"That's both hyperbolic and mean of you to say."

"I don't like being phoned all the time! And tell that to Yuffie!"

"Tell her yourself. If I answer the phone she never gives me enough time to get a word in between."

"...What does hyperbolic mean?"

"I'll expect you here tomorrow," Vincent said curtly and hung up.

_Superior git_, Cloud thought, but without much venom. Vincent was right. It'd be a good idea to go over to where he and Cid was. Safer for everyone.

He flipped his phone shut and stared at it, lost in thought.

_Sephiroth..._

* * *

**EXTRA**

"Huh? Vincent wants a package delivered?" Tifa was swiping a wet cloth over the counters of the bar.

"Mm, it'll take a while so I'll probably be away for a few days... not sure how long."

"I don't see why you have to go to all that trouble. Couldn't Vincent come down here?"

"It's a very important delivery," Cloud glanced down at his feet to avoid Tifa's eyes. "You know, I think it's confidence-building books. And arts and crafts stuff. To help him stop brooding. Origami's a very good anti-depressant. It'd take his mind off Lucrecia for a while."

"Since when has Vincent liked origami?"

"Well! I'm off! I've asked Yuffie along to help out with the bar, I think she enjoys helping out with customers and stuff. And looking after Denzel and Marlene. See you, Tifa."

"Cloud-!" Tifa called after him in vain. The bar door swung shut and shortly afterwards there was the revving of Fenrir's engines. Tifa sighed. "There's nothing wrong with telling me the truth you know... I only want to help..."

* * *

_So, uh, I know I said this fan-fiction was like a parody thing, but I still think I'm turning it into something super silly, even for a parody. And sorry for the short chapter! Well I mean, it might not appear short because of all the dialogue, but the word count said it was only about 800 words. At least there was some plot in it, am I right?  
_


End file.
